doctor, son, brother, friend
by nobodyshouldknow
Summary: Reid is seriously injured. While the team waites to see if he surviwes they reflect on their beloved friend and recident genius. I have updated chapters 1 and 3, fixed some misspellings and change the story a little bit.
1. Why is it alway Reid?

_I don´t own Criminal Minds, I am simply just a huge fan of the show. Happens somewhere between Henry´s birth and Emily´s death._

Reid had been shot. Of course it was Reid. It was always Reid. Despite being terrified with concern, Morgan couldn´t help but to notice the irony. Yet again it was the smartest of them all who had gotten himself int trouble.

"Should we call his parents?" Rossi asked.

"Well, they do deserve to see him. We have to face the fact that he might not make it," Hotch said.

"Don´t say that," JJ said.

"His parents should know about this," Hotch said.

"We´ve never told them when something happened to him before," Emily said.

"Because it has never been needed, apart from the time with the anthrax, and then we couldn´t," Hotch said.

"Yeah, but what will Reid think about it," Morgan questioned.

"If he won´t make it and we don´t call his parents they´ll miss their chance of saying goodbye to their son," Hotch said.

They were all sitting in the ER waiting room. Garcia was on her way. Morgan felt that he had visited too many hospitals because of the kid.

"This is turning into a habit," Emily thought bitterly. Far too often had there been in situations where Reid´s life was on the line. She wasn't sure who she wanted to kick the most: Reid, the killer or herself. After all, this was all her fault.

The team had been looking for an unsub who was strangling girls in Boston. Reid and Emily had gone to look for clue in a empty warehouse, but the unsub, who had been involved in the investigation and therefore known that they would be there, had been waiting for them there. Emily had gotten cornered and the unsub, a man named Steve Conan, was about to shoot her when Reid provoked him with insults. It had taken the heat of Emily, but it had earned Reid a gun shot from Steve.

When Emily saw her friend fall down on the ground the first thing she did was shooting Steve in both legs so he couldn´t run away, and called ambulance. Shooting both legs had actually been unnecessary, but she had been too angry to stop once she started. Not that Morgan had given the killer much friendlier treatment when he arrived.

The others showed up only few moments after the ambulance and saw Reid being carried unconsciously up in it by paramedics. Steve lay on the floor, bleeding out and in great pain, but despite that the team couldn´t feel the least bit sorry for him. When Morgan saw him he had absolutely lost control and attacked the killer. Hotch and Rossi eventually had to drag him of Steve, but not before they had let Morgan give him a serious beating.

Once the man was arrested the team hurried up to the hospital.

When they arrived Reid was already in surgery and things weren´t looking good. The doctors said that there was hope, but it was slim.

And now they were just waiting, while debating on whether or not to call their friends parents, so they could be with their possibly dying son.

"Do you think his mom could handle it," JJ asked.

"Yeah, beside, will they even let her out of the hospital," Emily asked.

"I am going to call the hospital and see what they think about. If her doctors say it´s okay, we´ll send a flight for her," Hotch said.

"And his dad," Rossi asked.

"I´ll call him to," Hotch said.

"Do you think Reid will appreciate it," Emily asked.

"Well, they seemed to patch things up pretty well the last time they saw each other," Rossi said.

"Yeah, and even if they aren´t that close, he´s still Spence´s father. He deserves to see him," Hotch said.´

"Could you please stop talking like he´s dying," JJ said.

Nobody answered.

Diana Reid was on her way. So was William. Reid´s parents. It had finally been decided that it was right to let them know. In a matter of minutes they were going to meet the very people who had given birth that their sweet genius. Apart from Emily all of them had seen Diana, and Rossi and Morgan had both met William, but they hardly knew either one of them. And now their son´s live was in danger. Not the best circumstances to meet under. Especially not a mentally ill woman and a man who had left his family because his wife witnessed a murder.

Garcia was already there. She had cried out in JJ arms, but eventually gone out of tears. Morgan was still walking back and forth like he was about to explode, just as he had been doing for the past five minutes. He hated not being able to do anything. Rossi, Emily and Hotch just said quietly with concern and sadness written on their face.

When Reid´s parent, along with a nurse from the Mental Hospital, came into the waiting room the team tightened up a bit and stared at them. No one knew what to say or how to act.

They were about to wait for news about a beloved friends life, together with strangers who also cared for him, probably even deeper than they did. But who had also caused him a lot of suffering and pain.

They were about to wait with a woman suffering from schizophrenia to find out if her son was going to survive being shot in the chest by a serial killer.

They were about to wait with a man to hear whether his son, whom he had abandoned at the age of ten, would die.

This couldn´t get any more tragic or uncomfortable.

The team quickly rose when Reid´s parents noticed them. They could easily tell who they were by the FBI-west. Hotch just hoped they didn´t look to bad. It would do no good if they got

There was a short, awkward silence. Hotch stepped forward and shook the newcomers hand, one by one.

"Hi, I am Aaron Hotchner, Spencer´s friend and boss. I´m so sorry,"

"How is he," William asked.

"We don´t know, but he has been in surgery for two hours now. We are still waiting for any news," Hotch said.

"How did this happen," Diana asked and sat down.

"It was my fault," Emily said.

"No Emily. Don´t… just don´t blame yourself. This is not your fault, "JJ said.

"Yes it is my fault," Emily said.

"Will someone just please tell me what happened," Diana screamed.

"We were searching for an unsub, Reid and me, when we got attacked by him…

"What´s an unsunb," Diana asked.

"The bad guy we were chasing," Rossi explained.

"Anyways, I was in danger and Reid started to insult him to turn his attention to himself and… he got shot," Emily felt tear in her eyes to her embarrassment.

Diana broke down in tears.

"Don´t worry Diana. He´ll be okay," William said.

"You don´t know that," Diana screamed. "You don´t know a thing. Don´t tell me that my son will be okay, when you can´t prove it,"

Garcia started crying. JJ wrapped her arms around. When would that doctors come with those results?


	2. Whistle and guns

_I do not own a single inch of Criminal Minds or any of it´s characters. I am simply just a HUGE fan of the show, that´s all. Please don´t sue, my parents would kill me if that happened Oh, and please review if find it in your heart to do so._

This was bad. Really bad. Reid had been brought to the hospital hours ago and there was still nothing from the doctors. Morgan punched the wall in anger. He really shouldn´t have done that. Diana Reid jumped on her feets. "What happened?" She yelled, scared and confused. Morgan mentally kicked himself.

"Nothing is wrong ma´am. Morgan is just angry. There is nothing bad happening," Emily said. William hugged his ex-wife. "Everything is okay," he said comforting.

"Why is he angry," Diana asked.

"He is just worried about Rei…your son," JJ explained.

"What about the man who did this," William said. "Where is he?"

"He has been imprisoned and is now in the custody of Boston police," Hotch said."But momentarily he´s in a hospital,"

"Please tell me it´s bad," William said angrily.

"Don´t worry. That monster got beaten up badly. Not that it makes up for the girls killed. Or Reid," Emily said.

"I remember when he was a kid," Diana said, her voice was somehow distant, like she wasn´t aware of where she was. "Just a little child and we took him to the park. We put him on the swing and he got terrified. He started screaming and completely lost it. William tried to talk him into keep on trying and attempted to calm him down. I couldn´t bare seeing Spencer like that and told William to stop, but he refused. He wanted to help him get over his fear. I begged and I begged, and eventually William let it go. He clung to William and buried his head into his chest. He was so small and vulnerable."

"I know what you mean," Morgan said. "He can sometimes remind you of a child. His optimism and naivety can really make you feel protective of him. It makes him seem so innocent. But his is also strong. And intelligent. I haven´t met a lot of people who are as brave and selfless as he." Morgan laughed. "I remember one time when he failed his gun qualification and Elle, a woman who was on our team back then, told us...well, me mostly I guess, that we shouldn´t mention it to him, so we would make him feel uncomfortable. The first thing I did when he walked in was to go over and "comfort" him. Then I gave him a whistle and told him to blow in it if he´d ever get into trouble. I just loved teasing him. He however…He was really pissed at me. Later, Hotch gave him one of his own guns after he had proven himself worthy of one and when I walked passed him he threw the whistle at me."

"You really did that?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. He really hated it when I teased him for being such a bad shooter. I guess I should have been more considered about his feeling," Morgan admitted. „But man, the look on his face. It was priceless,"

„I can imagine," JJ said. „Like an annoyed little brother who gets fed up by his big brother,"

„Pretty much, yeah," Morgan said, thinking of his two sisters back in Chicago and all the times the maked fun of each other.

"I would have loved to see him throw that whistle at you," Rossi said. „Bet the look on _your _face then must have been priceless as well,"

Hotch forced himself not to swallow so he wouldn´t appear like something was bothering him. He always got uncomfortable when someone mentioned Elle. Then giggle escaped his mouth when a memory crossed his mind.

"I remember Elle´s first case on the BAU. We were trying to catch an arsonist and Reid and she were discussing the case, going over the details and trying to find something to and Elle suggested it might be a chemistry student. Then Reid said that it could also be a chemistry _professor_ and she answered that arsonists were to socially incompitent and started taking about how that the guy we were looking for didn´t go on dates, didn´t go to parties and felt uncomfortable in front of crowds. And Reid just looked at her and there was this awkward silence and she added: „and of course he is a total psychopath. Reid´s only reply to that was: Of course"

JJ and Emily giggled while Rossi covered his mouth and Morgan and Garcia bursted into hysterical laughters.

„She really said that to _Reid_?" JJ asked.

„Oh, she did," Hotch said."She did." A sad stillness replaced the laughter.

"What do you think Elle would say if she knew he was here," JJ asked.

"She´d probably say: "You didn´t think a woman could take care of herself, ha papi?" Or something like that," Morgan said.

William gave him a puzzled look.

„Reid got shot because he was trying to save Emily´s live," Morgan explained. „ He provoked the killer to take he heat of her,"

William simply nodded and Emily looked down at her feet.

" I think she´d be really worried," Garcia said, continueing like she hadn´t heard them. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet and the sadness was impossible to miss. " So would Gideon."

"Yeah," said Emily. I wonder if he ever reread the letter like I told him to,"

"What letter?" Garcia asked.

"The one Gideon left for Reid when he…quit," Emily said. She didn´t feel right saying the word „left" in front of William. Not like that. Not about his son. "I told him to reread it so that the message would sink in. You know, so he´d believe what it said, and not just think Gideon didn´t care for about the team," She wanted to bite her tongue of when the last words came out. Hadn´t she tried to put this delicately so Reid´s parent wouldn´t understand how she had meant this?

"Yeah. Spencer has had enough..." William cut himself off and sighted.

"For what it´s worth, then I know your son. Believe me, he wouldn´t have gotten so angry at you if he didn´t care about you, " Morgan said.

"Thanks,"

The silence was becoming unberable. So was the waiting. They were all sick out of there minds with worries. JJ couldn´t help but to look secretly at Diana and William. They were Reid´s parents. Right in front of her sat the woman who unintentionatly caused Elle getting shot ...and then there was William. The abondoning father. The man who had left his ten year old son alone with his schizophrenic mother. And now they were sitting here together, worrying about the live of their only child. JJ tried to shake of the image of how it must feel for them. How it would feel if it were Henry´s live that was on the line. The idea horrified her.

She caught herself wondering about how Reid´s live must have been when he was growing up. JJ just couldn´t help but to feeling sorry for him when she thought about all the hardship he had gone through. Right there and then, sitting in the waiting room with Reid´s live in danger, she wanted to cry over all the things that had happened to him. On top of his miserable childhood then he had been kidnapped and tortured by Tobias Hankle which had left him with a post-traumatic disorder and a drug-problem. JJ still felt guilty about what had happened the night Reid was captured and started thinking about how Emily was coping. At least better then she had back then.

Once it had been Reid that had felt guilty about something that had happened to Emily on a case. JJ had overheard their conversation on the way home from Colorado when Emily had told him not to blame himself. She knew that Reid wouldn´t want Emily to feel guilty about him being shot, so therefore JJ couldn´t let Emily beat herself up about. It hadn´t been her fault anyways. Reid had chosen to risk his live for Emily´s sake. Maybe he would feel better about the Cyrus-incident now that he had put his life for her. Then again, it was Reid. He had a tendency to blame himself for things he couldn´t control. He probably wouldn´t stop blaming himself for what had happened in Colorado, no matter what.

Reid never seemed to feel like he was good enough, like he didn´t have the right to be anywhere he went and that he didn't deserve being loved. Fortunately his confidence was slowly growing with time, at least when it came to the team. He still had trouble talking to strangers, but hey, that just made him adorable. At least he felt like that he was a valid member of the team and knew that he could count on them.

Garcia remembered the time Reid had been kidnapped vividly. She would never forget it. None of them would.

The images of him, of her _friend_ being tortured on the screen. Hearing him scream whenever the sick bastard hurt hi, and begging for mercy. When he was forced to choose the next victims. Or when he had literally died in front of her. She had watched Reid die. And now she might lose him for good. Garcia would never forget the time he had asked her record those words to his mother, either. She could still hear his voice when he had tried to cheer her up _"What, no witty Garcia-comment for me"_. That tone. The one that he had so bravely tried to hide under the optimism. So typical Reid. Always trying to hide the pain, being so brave and holding on to the faith. Never giving up. At least not for good.

"_I know what it is alike to afraid of your own mind."_ Somehow Morgan couldn´t get those words out of his mind. With Diana Reid there in the room he was suddenly very aware of the fact that Reid had been raised up with a schizophrenic mother and lived in the constant fear of one day losing his mind and grip of reality.

Briar. How angry Morgan had been when Reid had taken the vest off. He had been terrified. Just like when the guy who shot Elle (unbelievable that he could forget the name of someone who had framed one of his friends for murder and then nearly killed her) had nearly blown up Reid, or during the whole Cyrus-case, or when Reid had inhaled the anthrax. Or when Tobias Hankle had…yes, there had been a lot of times where Morgan had been afraid he´d never see the kid again. He had also often worried about his happiness. While he had been recovering after what Tobias did to him, or when they were searching for the school shooter (what had that guy's name been? Why couldn´t he even remember someone like him. Reid´s reaction to that case should have helped him memorize the guy´s name; after all he could remember his girlfriend´s name. Maybe it was a good thing though, that he was forgetting the names of all the sick people they caught) who had been bullied until the just snapped. There had been many other times too…far too many. And now he was in a surgery that probably would determine if he´d make it or not.

Emily felt guilty. Sure she knew Reid wouldn't blame her. The team wouldn´t either and really, there was nothing she could have done. But still. It wasn´t just guilt that was bothering her though. She was scared Reid wouldn´t make it. The idea of never seeing him again. Of never talking to him again. He had been one of her best friends in years. Losing him would be like …no, not like, it would _be_ losing a family member. Never hearing him ramble off statistics, talking about science fiction (something she´d never admit to Morgan that she liked) or being teased by Morgan. Or teasing Morgan with her.

JJ sighted. She wanted to say something, but at the same time she was afraid of breaking the silence. All of a sudden a memory came up. Something to share.

"Did you two know that your son finds baby-kicks freaky?" she asked.

William looked at her. "Sorry?"

"When I was pregnant I let him touch my belly and he said it freaked him out." JJ giggled.

"Yeah, Reid has always been…strange. Dealing with serial killers, sure. Talking to girls, no way in hell. And of course, gets freaked out by an infant kicking, but finds it very normal however to forget mentioning that a delusional psychopath …I mean…I didn´t." Morgan looked apologetically at Diana. "It´s okay," she said. "What were you going to say?"

Morgan didn't really want to finish that sentence. They were Reid´s parents, so it didn´t seem like to good idea to mention one of his near-death experiences to them.

"Never mind," Morgan said. Ending a sentence on the words"has a bomb tied to himself" probably wasn´t the most clever thing to say in this situation.

The Fisher King. That had been a close call. Reid had also been in danger when Crowd had taken him and Hotch hostage. Another near-death experience. They were becoming quite many. Hopefully, this was just one of them. Just another case where the kid simply just ran into some trouble and gave them all a scare. Morgan really hoped so.


	3. Old cases, old memories

_I don´t have any legals, nor moral claims to Criminal Minds, so no suing._

Diana and William left with the nurse to check in to a hotel. William and the nurse had decided it was for the best to after Diana had lost it and started yelling at everyone around her. JJ couldn´t help but to think about how it must have been for Reid growing up with her.

Emily sighted. "Why is it always Reid?"

"Yeah, it´s weird. I mean, you´d think someone as smart as he´d be able to stay out of trouble, but it´s like ….he´s like some kind of a trouble magnet or something," Garcia said.

"You´d think that there would be like a limit for how many bad things can happen to one person," JJ said. "His mother is schizophrenic, then he´s almost killed by a pedophile and his father leaves…

"Plus he is ruthlessly bullied in school," Morgan added.

"And then he gets kidna…" JJ sighted. Thinking about Hankle was not something she enjoyed.

"And then the anthrax," Emily reminded. They rarely touched the topic of Reid´s kidnapping, so she thought it would be best to get past the moment as soon as possible.

"Plus getting shot in the leg," Garcia reminded.

"Come to think of it, Reid gets into a lot of trouble," Emily said.

"You got that one right," Morgan said. "I leave him out of my sight for ten seconds;he inhales some highly deadly toxic. Hotch sends him and JJ to interview a witness which of course turns out to be the unsub and he nearly… no actually gets killed. Plus he´s one of the two of us who nearly got blown up in Colorado,"

"He is a real magnetic field for tragedies. But he´s also clearly very strong handling all of that and no matter what happened to him during his childhood he still turned out great," Rossi said.

"He truly is one of the greatest people I´ve ever met," Hotch said. "A real hero. But I can´t sometimes help but to wonder whether he should be on the team. Sometimes he just seems too young and innocent. It´s just wrong to have him suffer like that and loose all the innocence,"

"Yeah, it really is a shame. But he is strong and he still believes that there is something good in this world.," Rossi said. " Garcia is right though It is a wonder how a guy as smart as Reid can get into so much trouble. I mean, no one can escape danger in a job like this, but his life has been on the line more often than most of us put together."

"He´s smart, but it doesn´t mean he is not foolish," Morgan said. "I mean, he split up with JJ in Georgia, he went alone into a potential unsub´s house and he put himself in the shooting line to protect Owen. Then there´s the time he went on the train. We had a paranoid schizophrenic holding people hostage on a train, including one of our owns, Elle who we mentioned before, and Reid goes in to fix the situation. I specifically tell him to not take his west of and the first thing he does when he gets on the train is exactly that,"

"Yeah, you really can´t look away from him for one minute, then he has gotten himself into another danger," JJ said.

"No wonder you´re such a good mother. You have had a lot of practice with him," Emily teased.

"Yeah, and Morgan," Hotch said. " I remember the time when Morgan was talking with Garcia on the phone and for some reason threatened to spank her when he got home and Reid said her not to listen to him because he´s all talk and Morgan hits him. Then Reid of course complains to JJ who said something like: "Boys, behave, or I'll have to ground you both."

„Yeah, I remember that one. Morgan is right, he can really remind you of a child sometimes," JJ said.

"Don´t say that. Don´t talk like he´s going to die," JJ said.

"She´s right. He´s going to make it. He has to," Garcia said. Silence took over.

"He´s one of the best persons I have ever met," JJ said.

"Yeah, he really is great," Morgan said.

"No doubt about that," Rossi said.

"When the schizophrenic vampire-fangirl attacked me he was so sweet to take care of me. I know he didn't do much, but the fact he bothered to do so little still shows he´s more considered then nearly every man I have ever met. He once took me to a football games. One of my favorite team was playing. He really didn´t have any fun, but he really pretended to. Knowing him, it´s mostly for my sake,"

"Yeah, he is one of the nicest guys I have ever come across," Emily said.

"And brave," Hotch said. "He has risked his life for strangers on more than one occasion. He jumped in front of a bullet to save a man´s life and when he inhaled the anthrax he didn´t want to hear about stop working the case. He also risked his life for Owen and he did risk it when he went into the train with the schizophrenic unsub, even though I think he had a little bit more confidence in surviving that time. However we were terrified since he hadn´t told us about his mother,"

" No doubt, he is a man worth knowing," Rossi said.

"Not that he´d agree with that," Morgan said. " The kid can be very insecure. Like he doesn´t realize that there are actually people that like him, and that we care about him, that he means something to us, but isn´t some second-class…extra in our lives, that we´d forget if he left,"

"You´re right. It´s awful how someone can undermine once confident and make them feel so bad about themselves, like they´re worthless," JJ said.

"I wonder if the it was the bullying, or his father abandonment, or both."

"Probably both," Morgan said. " Though mostly the bullying, I think. His father´s abandonment more likely felt like he didn't love him, not like the whole world was against him, like the bullying," Morgan said.

"I´m not so sure," Rossi said. "Abandonment like that can make people think very low of themselves."

"Either way, it´s awful," JJ said.

"It´s all awful. Everything he´s been through. His father´s abandonment. The bullying, the schizophrenic mother, Tobias. It´s just not fair that he should have to go through something like that," Garcia said, her words trembling over each other .

"Yeah it is," Morgan said. "But I am still glad it happened,"

" How can you say that?" JJ asked.

"Because else he wouldn´t be the person he is, and then we probably wouldn´t know him."

"Are you here for Spencer Reid," Finally, _finally_, the doctor had arrived.

"Yes," came from Hotch.

The look on the doctor´s face wasn't happy at all.


	4. Trouble magnet, worries and fear

JJ felt like she had a giant knot in her stomach. The look on the doctors face was terrifying. It was too much like the look on someone who was about to bring some bad news to someone. She had seen that look (and worn it) far too many times.

No, it couldn´t be. It just couldn´t. Garcia refused to believe it. The look on the doctors face couldn´t not mean that Reid…No, it couldn´t be. It just couldn´t.

Morgan felt his heart sink. This was it. In about one moment or less the doctor would say something and it would be bad. He just knew it.

Emily knew that there was no way Reid was alive when she saw the doctor. It was over. And she didn't even get to tell him sorry she was about what happened in the warehouse. She´d never get to tell him anything again.

Hotch didn´t want to believe it, but what else could the look on the doctor´s face, or the sympathy in his tone, mean?

This was not happening. It couldn´t be true. Reid could not be dead. Rossi hoped with all his heart that this just a nightmare.

"He survived the surgery, but he is still badly injured and has lost a considerable amount of blood. His situation is critical and quite unstable. The next few hours will determine if he´ll survive," That was all the doctor had for them, after what felt like an eternity of waiting? But at least he was alive. For now.

"Can we see him?" JJ asked.

"He´s resting, but if you want you can see him," The doctor followed them down a hallway. Morgan felt like the walk through the hospital took far too long. He couldn´t get to Reid fast enough. None of them could.

Reid was lying asleep in a hospital bed, connected with machines and other stuff. He looked even paler and scrawnier than ever.

Next few hours, the doctor had said. For the next few hours they´d have to wait to see if Reid would make it. Well, it wasn't like they hadn´t been doing exactly that the last two and half lifetimes. But how much more would they have to take?

"This is all my fault," Emily wanted to say it out loud, but didn´t let herself. This was no time for drowning the team in her self-pity. This was about Reid.

"_I need you to listen. What Cyrus did to me was not your fault. I chose it and I´d do it again,"_

How easy it had been to say those words. Emily could still feel the heat from the fire, hear the explosion, smell the smoke, hear Cyrus´s voice when he beat her up, feel the hits she took from him, every time she thought about the case. She remembered everything vividly. Would she really have to lose the person she had gone through that with?

"_Doesn´t it freak you out?"_

"_No, why? Does it freak you out? "_

"_Very much so."_

He had no problems with trying to catch a serial killer with no assistant except hers or walking into a train with an armed psychopath, but flirting with women and an unborn baby kicking from inside its mother's womb actually scared him. JJ truly had never met anyone like him in her entire life. None of them had. He could really be self-conscious at times. Though the times he freaked out (or shocked) people the most he didn´t even notice it and when he started rambling about statistics and facts he was quite relaxed and at ease. He didn´t even see how amazing he is. He wasn´t aware of how brave, kind or strong he was. Strong. That was what he was. And therefore, he´d survive this, like anything else life had thrown at him. That thought gave JJ a little bit of hope. Not as much as she should have, but still…

"_Do you think he´ll be all right?"_

"_I wouldn´t, but then again, I´m a blinker,"_

Garcia thought back to the time when Hotch had gotten back from work after that son of a bitch shot him. This was getting out of hand. Too many times had one of them been in danger. Too many hospitals, too many waiting to see if they´d see if one of their friends again.

But back then, when the two of them were talking about Hotch and cookies and eye-blinking, everything had seemed all right and innocent. Okay, that was a lie, but at least Hotch had survived and Reid might have been injured, but at least he had been a whole lot better off than now.

"_I get shot in the leg and I don´t get a cookie?" _Now she would have baked all the cookies he could eat if it would get him to open his eyes.

"_New boots huh? Italian leather?"  
>"Yeah, what could I tell ya?"<em>

He was probably one of the most amazing people Rossi had ever met. And that was saying something. How he had kept on working the anthrax-case after he got infected, how he could be strong and determined when needed and still show compassion, sympathy and understanding to those who were having a hard time. Boy, he hoped the guy would make it through this.

"_I hope I didn´t hurt you too badly."_

"_Hotch, I was a twelve year old prodigy in Las Vegas Public High School. You kick like a nine year old girl."_

Hotch hadn´t regretted his decision to give Reid the gun. The boy might not have the best shooting skills, but he was a valid team member and he was of great use in the fields. Plus he was getting better. Just as long as he´d survive this. The damage it would do to the team if he wouldn´t... Nothing would ever be the same. Emily would probably blame herself. Hotch himself couldn´t bear the idea of another funeral.

"_Damn it Reid. I told you to keep the vest on!"_

The kid had always had a knack for trouble. Deep down Morgan knew Reid couldn´t go on like this. One day or another he would get himself killed if he didn´t quit this job, or at least stop getting himself in positions like that. And now, that day might have come. He could be about to lose his little brother. _Oh, pretty boy._

"He is going to make it," Garcia said.

"You´re right. He will. He´s a fighter," Rossi said.

"Oh, sure. Now you´re worried about me. But when I climb down a ditch just so you don´t have to get dirt on your Italian boots, and can´t get up again because I got shot in the leg, you just walk away like nothing."

The sound of that weak voice was like a gods-gift to the six other people in the room. A giant mountain off worries was lifted of their chest.

"You´re awake," Garcia said and tried to control the volume of her voice, without hiding the excitement.

"How are you doing?" JJ asked.

It took a moment before Reid answered in a worn-out voice.

"I am fine."

"Reid, I am so sorry," Emily said sincerely. "I am so, so sorry."

"Not….your….fault," he whispered and closed his eyes.

Morgan sighted in relief. It looked like Pretty boy was going to make it after all. He sure hoped this it meant that. JJ and Garcia hugged in joy and JJ wrapped her arm comforting around Emily while Garcia broke into happy tears in Morgan´s arm.

He´s awake, they repeated to each other, over and over again. Hotch went outside to give William Reid a call. His son had just gotten out of surgery and he had even gained consciousness for a moment.

Then one of the machines Reid was attached to started to beep.

"What´s happening?" Garcia asked.

"No, no," JJ said horrified.

"SOMEONE, GET IN HERE. WE NEED A DOCTOR, NOW!" Morgan yelled.

Medical staff rushed into the room. The team was pushed away while the doctors tried to resuscitate their friend.


End file.
